Folding boat.



7 PATENTED JULY 9, 1907. A. J. ROSIN. FOLDING BOAT. nrmoum'uFILED-001223, 1906.

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No. 859,582. I PATENTED JULY 9, 1907. A. J. ROSIN. Y

FOLDING BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED coma, 1906.

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ALBERT J. ROSIN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

FOLDING BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1907.

Application filed October 23, 1906. Serial No. 340,168.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT J. ROSIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Folding Boats, of whichthefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to folding boats, and comprises particularly askeleton frame made of foldable and detachable pieces and a cover formedof heavy canvas or the like which may be distended upon said frame,.orwhich will serve as a wrapper in which said pieces of the frame may berolled to form a compact bundle suitable for convenient carriage.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a perspective view of the boat. Figs. 2 and 3 areperspective views of parts of the frame, showing the manner in which thesame is set up and collapsed. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line44 of Fig. 1.

The boat is of the canoe type, both ends being similar. The keel isindicated at 6 and has the curved stems 7 hinged to the ends thereof asat 8, so that the stems may be folded down and in upon the keel, asshown in Fig. 3. The gunwales 9 have folding sections 10 at each oftheir ends, these sections being curved to form the bow, and hinged tothe main gunwale strips as at 1], and also to each other as at 12. Thehinges 11 allow the sections 10 to be folded into substantialparallelism, the parts being shown partly folded in Fig. 3. l The upperend of the stem 7 may be connected. to the gunwale sections by anysuitable fastening, such as pins 13 which will slip into sockets on theunder side of the sections '10.

When unfolded the gunwales are spread and held apart by means of a seat14, and by rods 15 at each end which are hooked or otherwise connectedto the opposite gunwale sections and serve to tie the same together. Thekeel is spaced by the stems 7 and also at the middle by a post 16 whichmay be set in under the seat and between said seat and the keel.Diagonal stays are also provided consisting of flexible strips 17 whichcross at the post 16 and extend thence in contact with the sides of theboat to connection with the gunwale pieces 10, said connection beingconveniently formed by straps 18 into which the reduced ends of saidflexible strips are inserted when they are sprung into shape.

The covering 19 of the boat is preferably made of heavy canvas or otherfabric rendered waterproof by proper treatment, and provided with corkor other light wood strips 20 spaced apart and running lengthwise on theinner side of the fabric. These strips must extend no farther than theends of the gunwale sections'lO, otherwise they will prevent the inwardfold or collapse of the canvas at the ends of the boat.

The boat can be quickly knocked down and folded up by taking out theseat and the post 16 and detaching the strips 17 from the straps 18 andunfastening the hooks 15. This will allow the end pieces of the gunwalesto be folded in and the stems 7 to be folded down upon the keel. Thecanvas covering is fastened to all the gunwale sections andto the keel,but is not fastened to the stems. When the boat is so collapsed all theparts may be rolled up into a bundle convenient for packing or carrying.

The strips 20 of cork serve to stiffen and strengthen the shell or coverof the boat and they also render the heat more buoyant than wouldotherwise be the case,

making it, in fact, practically unsinkable, and adapting the same foruse as a life-boat on vessels, on which a considerable number of suchboats can be stored in small space, and taken out and set up if and whenthe occasion arises.

I claim:

1. In a folding boat, the combination with the keel and gunwales, of theend sections hinged to the gunwales and to each other and foldableinwardly between the gunwales, and the stems hinged to the keel andarranged to fold in and down upon the same.

2. In a folding boat, the combination with the keel and inwardlyfoldable stems and gunwale sections at the ends of the boat, of flexiblediagonal strips resting upon the keel at the middle of the boat andextending from the gnnwale'sections at one end to the opposite sectionsat the other end.

3. In a folding boat, the combination with a frame having inwardlyfolding stems and gunwales, of a cover upon -the frame having stripssecured thereto and extending lengthwise and terminating within thelines of fold of the gunwales.

4. A folding boat comprising a keel, stems hinged to the keel, to foldinwardly thereon, gunwales having hinged end sections foldable inwardly,a seat between the gunwales, a post between the seat and keel, and aflexible cover secured to the keel and gunwales.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT J. ROSIN.

Witnesses JOHN A. BOMMHARDT, SHIRLEY J. BOMMHARDT.

